Everything, It Must Belong Somewhere
by SARuhh
Summary: Slight AU. Liz calls Jess weeks after coming to Stars Hollow and making a scene, asking him to come home for Christmas. Will Jess go or will he stay? What will Liz do if he says no? Luke and Jess centric, with a bit of Literati. Better summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **(AU**, **kind of.)When Liz comes to town and hits Jess in front of half the town, she causes Luke and the rest of the town to worry about him. Liz calls a few weeks later for Jess, saying that she is sorry and wants him home for Christmas. Will he go or will he stay? What will happen if he says no, what would Liz do then?

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing! Bright Eyes owns the title and the WB owns Gilmore Girls!

Alright, this is my first Fan Fiction, so please be gentle.

Review please!

:)

* * *

"Jess!" Luke called out, trying to get the boy's attention, "Jess, I need some help!"

Luke heard the sound of feet pounding down the stairs and Jess appeared from behind the curtain.

"I'm on break," he crossed his arms, staring at his uncle.

"Well, now it's over," he told the boy, throwing a rag at him, "Go clean the tables, we're closing in ten."

"Why, aren't we a grumpy old lumberjack this evening?" Jess asked, heading over to one of the empty tables.

"Jess, just clean the tables," his uncle sighed.

"Coffee to go!" screamed a female voice as she burst into the building, "I'm freezing and in need of caffeine."

Jess looked up from cleaning another table, recognizing the voice immediately. It was Lorelai Gilmore. Sure, he and the Gilmore had never really gotten along, but lately their relationship was getting better. Since she had found out what his mother Lizwas like, Lorelai had been much more open and patient with him. She must have felt some sort of pity for him, most people usually do, when she heard that his parent was an abusive alcoholic. It had only been a few weeks since Liz had come to visit, insisting that he go back with her. In her drunken state, she had made a scene, smacking Jess around in front of the diner's occupants. Ever since then the whole town, minus Taylor Doose of course, had been much more sympathetic towards him. He hated the sympathy and attention but he knew there was nothing he could do to make them all forget the event. Even the few townsfolk that were not present had heard of Liz's attack from either Miss Patty or Babette.

Luke's voice snapped him out of his reverie. "It's almost eight, why would you need caffeine now?" his uncle inquired to the Gilmore as she made her way to the counter.

"Because we all know I can't resist your coffee Luke," she smugly smiled, sitting down on a stool. "Besides, I had a family outing with the parents and it wore me out."

"It's too late for coffee," Luke announced as he walked to a table, placing the ketchup on the counter and beginning to wipe it down.

"Aw, but Lukey, please?" she begged.

"Just give her the coffee Luke," Jess cut in, "It won't kill her."

"Jess," Luke warned, insisting he stay out of the conversation with his glare.

"Listen to your intelligent, charming, nephew over there," Lorelai taunted, giving Jess a smile, "It won't kill me."

"I said no Lorelai," Luke walked over to her and motioned for her to look around, "If you haven't noticed, we're closing."

"Come on Luke," she whined, giving him her "puppy dog" eyes, "Please?"

"No," he told her, but it was a hard battle. He struggled to resist the pout of his customer and eventually resigned, walking towards the stairs. He took one last look, yelling to Jess as he began the trip up. "Jess, I'll be waitig upstairs for you," He ignored Lorelai, "Lock the door once you get her out."

"Meanie," Lorelai fussed as she stood up.

Jess headed over the coffee machine and poured the remainder of coffee into a cup.

"Here," he said, handing her the cup, "Don't tell Luke I did this, or he'll slaughter me."

She smiled and laughed at him, "Thanks Jess, you're a sweetheart."

"No problem," he told her, heading over to the door, "Now, I've got to close or the lumberjack's going to come back down, axe in hand."

"All right, then." She smiled as he opened the door for her, "Thanks again Jess."

"No problem," he smiled, shutting and locking the door as she left. He sighed and shut the lights of the diner off before heading up the stairs. As he entered the apartment, he found his uncle was sitting on the couch, beer in hand, watching television. He thanked God that Luke didn't drink whiskey. He hated the stench because Liz always reeked of it.

Plopping down on his make shift bad, Jess grabbed a book off of his stack. He opened up to the dog-eared page and began reading. Luke coughed, trying to get his attention, but it was in vain. Jess decided to ignore it. A few minutes later, after about six coughs, the boy gave up the act, shutting his book violently and looking over to his uncle.

"For Christ sake!" Jess yelled, raising his arms up, "It's hard to concentrate when you keep doing that!"

"Well, I was trying to get your attention," he pointed out, giving his nephew a small smile.

"What do you want then?" Jess asked, crossing his arms.

"You remember our deal, don't you?" Luke questioned, crossing his arms as well.

Jess sighed and Luke continued, "We agreed that on Sundays and Mondays we'd take some time to hang out together."

Jess sighed a second time and stood up. He made his way to the couch and plopped down next to his uncle.

"Fine, what do you want to do?" the boy asked, crossing his arms and looking towards his uncle.

"How about we watch a movie?" Luke suggested.

"Alright, you pick." Jess replied, motioning to the pile of mediocre movies scattered in front of the TV.

"We've seen those dozens of times," Luke shrugged, staring down at the pile, "Anyway, it's nearing Christmas, why don't we watch something more Christmas oriented?"

"Didn't take you to be a fan of the old jolly red fat man, Uncle Luke," Jess smirked sitting up.

"Did you and Liz have any traditions that you two used to do?" Luke asked his nephew, ignoring the boy's previous comment.

"None that I want to carry on," he shrugged, falling prey to his thoughts on past Christmases.

Christmas had never been that great for him. The holiday mostly consisted of helping his drunk mother get into bed or dealing with her or one of her boyfriends smacking him around. Well, when he was younger it had been different, she had gone all out for the holiday. She would get a real tree, wrap up the presents in Christmas themed paper, and even read him Christmas stories. It had been easier then--before he had realized that it wasn't his job to be taking care of his drunken mother, before he had started to resent her for it.

Luke had actually attempted to make this Christmas something special. The man had gone out and bought a tree, forcing Jess to decorate it with him. Admittedly, Jess had not really enjoyed it, but he thought he had been a good sport. He had even cut back on his sarcasm. Well, at least he thought he did. He really appreciated what Luke had been doing for him, taking care of him like this, treating him like a son. Yes, he was his nephew, but Luke treated him with much more patience and compassion than most uncles would a nephew. He wanted to let Luke know that he really did appreciate everything that he had been doing for him, so he did little things to show it. Sometimes it would be playing a trick on Taylor, or even picking up an extra shift at the diner without pay. Luke meant a lot to him, even though he may annoy the elder Danes to his last nerve, he hoped that Luke knew that was his way of showing he cared.

"Jess," Luke said, snapping the boy out of his thoughts, "I'm sorry if I brought up any bad memories-"

"No, it's fine, you didn't." Jess cut in, "What movie were you thinking of?"

"How about _A Christmas Story_?" he suggested, "It should be on now, it is three days away from Christmas. They tend to overplay that movie around this time."

"Sure," Jess replied, laying back down on the couch, "Sounds good to me."

Luke grabbed the remote and changed the channel until he found the movie. He smiled to himself and looked over at his young nephew. Jess was glued to the screen, his head resting in one hand while the other rested on his lap. The boy's eye was healing up nicely, the puffiness and bruise surrounding it fading. Liz had really done a number on him, barging into the diner and smacking him over and over. Jess just took it, telling her to calm down. The boy looked so small and vulnerable, every hit making him even more humiliated than before. Almost the whole town had witnessed her fit including his uncle.

Luke really had no idea how bad Liz was. He never thought she would hit her own child the way she had that day. Luke had tried to interfere during the attack, but Jess had told him not to, saying to let him "handle it," that he had gotten "used to it." No child should ever be used to having their mother hit them the way Liz had Jess. He wondered how many times before then that Liz had lashed out at the boy. He had asked Jess if he wanted to talk about it, but Jess responded with an emotionless no. Jess briefly averted his gaze from the screen, noticing the older man's gaze.

"What?" he snapped, annoyed.

"Nothing," Luke replied, giving Jess a smile, "Your eye's healing up nicely."

Jess moved his hand up to his eye and felt it. His expression took on that of a traumatized child until it quickly reverted to his normal smug face. "Yeah," he nodded, looking over at Luke.

"Jess, if you want to talk-"

"No," Jess snapped, anger seeping through his voice, "I'm so sick of everyone asking me if I want to talk about it. I don't, alright?"

"Alright," Luke nodded. He would drop it for now, hoping that one day that he would open up and tell him about it. For now he would just try and fight for that kid as hard as he could. He planned to file for legal guardianship after Christmas--he would never let his nephew be hit like again.

The two both turned their attention back to the movie and sat in silence. Luke had no idea why he had picked this movie, he had seen at least twenty times already. Jess seemed to enjoy it though, his eyes were glued to the screen, taking in every minute of the old film. As the credits began to roll, Luke looked over at Jess and noticed his head dropping down, resting slightly on his shoulder. He looked so young and peaceful when he slept. It as if his hard exterior vanished for a short time when his eyes were closed; it was the time that the boy felt it was safe enough to remove his mask. Luke smiled and nudged him a little.

"Jess," he whispered gently, "Jess?"

Jess' eyes slowly fluttered open and he sat up. He looked over at his uncle and rubbed his eyes.

"Did I fall asleep?" he mumbled, yawning.

"Yeah, you should get in bed," Luke told him, "Your winter break starts tomorrow so you can sleep in. I won't make you work the morning shift."

Jess nodded and mumbled, "Thanks Luke," before falling down onto his bed and turning his stereo on full blast.

Luke sighed and turned the television off. He shut the lights off and got into his bed.

"Night Jess," Luke said.

"Night," he heard a mumbled voice say from under the covers.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I have most of this story written, I just need to edit it.

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing! The WB owns Gilmore Girls and lyrical genius Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes owns the title!

**snaperules **and **biancaruth**, Thank you so much for the reviews, I'm glad you guys like it! I also read Chapter One of _Fire and Ice_ and realized that they did sound alike, it was completely accidental though.I love **Polly**'s story and I really hope she updates soon!

Also, **lax_chick** and** Aaron**, thanks so much for reviewing! I'm really happy that you guys think it's good!

Alright, here's Chapter Two.

Please review!

:)

* * *

"Oh my, Luke, hurry up with the coffee please!" Lorelai yelled to the Danes. Luke was rushing around trying to get orders and fill up coffee mugs. The diner had its usual morning crowd. The infamous Gilmore girls were part of it.

"Oh, Luke, hurry! We're dying of thirst!" Rory added. Lorelai's daughter was the splitting image of her mother, all sass, but slightly less annoyance. Luke was thankful for this.

The man sighed, walking over to their table. He poured the coffee into their cups and pulled out his note pad.

"Oh, thank you Luke!" Lorelai responded, "What would a girl like me ever do without you?"

"Probably die from lack of caffeine," Rory suggested, taking a small sip of her coffee.

"What do you two want?" Luke ignored Lorelai's former comment, grabbing a pen from behind his ear.

"Hm," Rory pondered deliberately, "What to get?"

"I'll have the chocolate chip pancakes and a donut." Lorelai said, "Good way to start my day."

"With sugar," Luke sarcastically added, "You two should really eat healthier."

"Oh Luke, you know your attempts to play dietitian never work." Lorelai smirked, taking a sip of her coffee.

The girls laughed. Luke tried not to roll his eyes. Rory, looking to her mother, finally spoke up. "I'll have the same Luke," A smile, "but maybe a donut with jelly filling!"

"Yes! You see, Luke, intelligence runs in my family!" Lorelai cheered, "I'll follow the kid's orders--make mine jelly filled as well."

"Alright, you got it." He sighed as he finished writing their order on the pad and placing the pen back behind his ear.

"So Luke, where's our favorite rebel without a cause?" Lorelai inquired, taking another sip of her coffee.

"I gave him the morning off," Luke told them, crossing his arms, "He's probably still asleep."

"Oh," Rory nodded, "How is he doing since the, you know...?"

"He won't really talk to me about it. He told me he doesn't want to talk about it."

"Which means it's really bothering him," Lorelai cut in.

"I can't force him to talk to me about it, Lorelai." Luke said, walking over to the back of the counter and handing the cook Caesar their order.

"I know, eventually he'll talk to you about it," Lorelai called out to him, "Just give him time."

"Yeah," Rory agreed, "The last time we talked, he seemed a little distant, but I think he was still a little embarrassed by it."

"Poor Jess," Miss Patty commented, turning to face the group, "It must be so hard to live with a mother like that."

"Yeah," Babette added, "She seems like a terrible woman."

Jess appeared from behind the curtain and walked up to the coffee machine. He grabbed a cup, poured in the hot brew, and placed a lid on it. When he turned, he noticed most of the townsfolk were staring at him.

"What!?" he snapped, slamming his cup on the counter. He knew by the look on their faces they had just been talking about him or Liz. "Whatever, I'm out of here."

"Jess!" Luke called as the boy charged towards the door Jess just grunted and slammed the door shut.

"Dammit Jess. Put your coat on!" Luke yelled and grabbed Jess' coat from the rack. He barged out the door after him, leaving the diners occupants to gossip about Jess' outburst.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about him like this. I feel bad," Rory remarked, her head turned to watch as Luke chased after the boy.

Lorelai looked over at Miss Patty and Babette. They were both discussing the outburst, calling Jess a "poor troubled boy," and sharing their concerns for his well being.

Lorelai sighed and looked back over to her daughter.

"It must be hard for him to deal with all this attention. His mother did make quite the scene." She took a sip from her coffee and looked out to see Luke and Jess talking.

"Yeah," Rory sighed, distracted. She was looking out towards Jess and Luke with concern.

They had witnessed Jess' attack, his mother's drunken rampage. She kept hitting him, the boy taking every hit--a deadpan expression engraved on his face. It was as if he was used to it, and that really scared Rory. She remembered how he kept trying to calm his mother down, telling her that she was making a scene, but she just continued hitting him harder. It had been a horrible sight--watching her friend be hit to no end. It shook the town and showed a different side to Jess, one no one ever expected to see.

Yes, Rory knew Lorelai wasn't Jess' biggest fan but her mother would never wish harm to him. Regardless, Rory and Luke saw something in Jess that the rest of the town didn't, and after the event, she noticed her mother was trying to see it as well. Lorelai was becoming more and more patient with the boy. He had truly good intentions--Rory always knew it, and she thought her mom was finally starting to see it too. Sure, he was a bit troubled and cocky at times, but it was his way of showing he cared. Well, on some level.

* * *

"Jess!" Luke screamed as he chased his nephew through the snow, "Jess!"

The boy turned around and crossed his arms, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Put your coat on!" Luke told him, holding out Jess' black coat for him to take, "You'll catch a cold."

Jess snatched it from his hands and put it on. "I'm surprised the whole town didn't follow you out here," Jess bitterly remarked as he zipped up his coat, "I mean, with their sudden concern for me and all."

"Jess," Luke sighed. He wished Liz hadn't done that in front of everyone. She had no right to come to Star's Hollow and wreak havoc trying to take her son back. She was the one that sent him here in the first place. Luke recalled Jess' mother had thought he was headed down the wrong path, but what irked him was that finally when Jess was making some progress, she had to come. It seemed to him that Jess was only convenient to Liz when he wasn't causing trouble.

"I'm sick of everyone worrying about me," Jess called, crossing his arms, "I don't need a pity party."

"I know," the older man sighed, taking off his baseball cap and running a hand through his hair.

"They never cared before, but now when they find out what a terrible mother I have they decide they should?" he snapped, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it, "You can't just do that!" He exhaled deeply and let out a cloud of smoke. He was shaking with anger.

Luke had never seen him this worked up before. Yes, Jess got angry on occasion, but never to the point where his whole body was shaking. "Give it a few days, people will stop talking about it soon," he finally said, laying a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I've given it two weeks," Jess sighed, taking a drag from his cigarette, his composure returning to its normal stance, "These people just won't shut up about it."

"It's a small town, Jess," Luke said, giving Jess a smirk, "These people go crazy over everything...just look at Lorelai."

Jess chuckled and stared down at the cigarette in his hands. "That woman _is_ crazy," he admitted, rolling his eyes.

Luke laughed and smiled at his nephew.

"I'll be back later," Jess told him, placing the cigarette in between his lips and taking a drag, "My shift starts at three."

"I'll see you then," Luke nodded, "And you know, I'd prefer you didn't do that right outside of the diner."

The boy ignored his advice and walked away. Shaking his head, Luke retreated back to the diner.

"Is he alright?" Lorelai asked once Luke was inside, the Gilmore helping herself to another cup of coffee.

"Yeah," Luke told her, crossing his arms, "What are you doing pouring yourself another cup of coffee?!"

"When a girl's thirsty, she has to drink, Luke," she smiled, taking a sip of the steaming brew.

"You know that's not healthy," Luke shook his head, "Not that much anyway--you're taking in more caffeine than a five year old in a candy store."

"Wah, wah, who are you, my mother?" Lorelai crossed her arms, "I think the man's denying me my coffee, Rory!"

"Well, he has a point, Mom." Rory's mind seemed to be somewhere else.

Luke sighed and walked over to Lorelai. He grabbed the pot out of her hand and placed it back where it belonged--away from her.

"Where's Jess going?" Rory finally inquired, eyes gazing out the window, glued to the place Jess had been.

"I don't know. He didn't say," Luke shrugged, "I'm guessing the bridge though."

"Alright," Rory nodded as she stood up, "I'll see you later, Mom."

"Wait, young lady, where are you going?" Lorelai asked in a joking tone, "We still haven't gotten the doughnuts yet!"

"You can have mine. I'll see you later!" Rory laughed as she ran out the door.

Lorelai and Luke both looked at each other in silence, somehow knowing exactly where she was headed. There wasn't a word more to say.

* * *

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it! There will be a bit of Literati in the next chapter, and more Luke and Jess!

I'll try and update as soon as I can, I have to edit the next chapter. I'm writing the ending pretty much right now, there will be about seven or eight chapters to this story, I think.

Well, thanks again for reading!

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, as usual!**

Thank you all so much for the reviews, I love to hear what you think about my story!

Well, here's Chapter Three. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Jess sat on the bridge, feet dangling off the edge, book in one hand, cigarette in the other.

This bridge seemed to be his only escape from the craziness of the small town he inhabited and its citizens. It was the only place Jess seemed to get any privacy. It reminded him of Central Park, the pond so peaceful and calm with the water frozen over and currents running wildly underneath the ice. The snow covering the ground and trees made the scene even more beautiful. His admiration was cut short by the sound of footsteps walking his way. He sighed and looked up to see the younger Gilmore heading his way. She smiled and waved at him. Jess gave her a small smile and nodded at her.

"And to what do I owe this pleasure?" Jess asked her with a smirk.

"I was bored, so I thought I'd join you." She smiled as she sat down next to him.

"What about Dean?" Jess asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice, "Shouldn't you be hanging out with him if you're bored? I mean, he is your _boyfriend_."

"Well, I felt like hanging out with you," she ignored his tone, leaning over and taking a peak at his book. A moment of silence ensured before she spoke again. "Besides," A pause, "He's working."

"Oh," Jess nodded, watching her skim the page, her hair falling slightly into her face.

"What are we reading?" she inquired, face still beaming.

"_Oliver Twist._" He replied, shutting the book and showing her the cover.

"Definitely suits you, Dodger," she teased, "How many times have you read this?"

Rory took the worn copy from his hands and began to flip through it. Some pages had permeant creases bent into them from Jess folding the corners back, others had small tears in them that had been fixed with tape.

"Does it matter?" he snapped, staring at the frozen pond.

"No," she quickly replied, "I was just wondering." She handed him the book and stared down at the pond as well.

Jess put the book in his back pocket, never averting his gaze from the frozen water beneath them.

They sat there in silence for bit, Jess occasionally looking over at Rory every few minutes. There was just something about her that set her apart from the other inhabitants of that crazy, busybody small town and her crazy, busybody mother. He just couldn't put his finger on what. Nonetheless, he decided on the pragmatic, honest approach to break the silence. "Why does everyone in this town feel the reason to be so concerned about me now?" he asked, "Excluding Taylor, of course."

"Well, we did just witness your mother attack you," Rory honestly remarked with a concerned countenance, "I mean, that does shake people a little, especially me."

"She's not a bad mom," Jess rebutted, his expression sincere, "She just has problems, that's normal."

"I didn't say she was a bad mom, it's just seeing her do that to you kind of shocked everyone," Rory shrugged, "For some reason they all felt that you only inflicted bad on others, not that bad was ever inflicted on you or..." She stopped for a moment, looking down. She had to say it. "Maybe they just thought you would deserve the bad things that came your way."

"Sometimes I do," he sighed, running a hand through his gelled hair.

"No, Jess, you didn't deserve to be treated like that," Rory declared, "No one does."

Jess sighed and stood up, holding a hand out to Rory to help her up. She accepted it and he pulled her to her feet. They began walking back to town, Jess a few steps ahead.

"Don't tell Luke this, but Liz keeps calling me," he told her, turning his head to look at her, "She apologized, and she wants me home for Christmas."

"Are you going to go?" she asked, hoping the answer would be no. She wanted Jess to stay for some reason. She stopped momentarily. If Jess left, it would break Luke's heart--that was why. He had put a lot into Christmas this year, trying to make it something special for Jess, knowing that the boy had probably never had a normal Christmas. He even asked her advice on what to get him, which she responded with a list of books and CD's she had a feeling Jess would love. Beneath that, however, Rory couldn't help but think there was more to the reason than Luke. Could it be because--no, no. It couldn't--not when she was with Dean.

"I don't know," Jess shrugged, "I don't trust her. She said she's cleaned up, but that's always a lie."

"I think Luke would miss you if you left for the holidays," Rory admitted. He laughed and faced forward again.

"Hell, I think this whole town would miss me if I left," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "I seem to be the center of all the gossip lately, who knows what they would if I left?"

"Riots in the streets and Molotov cocktails." Rory laughed, "Miss Patty would lead the mob."

"It'll be anarchy!" Jess screamed, causing the few passerby's to look over at him, "Taylor would be trampled by the strong forces of gossip crazy women."

"Did I just hear my name?"

They both turned to see Taylor standing behind them, hands on his hips.

"Hi Taylor," Rory greeted him.

"Hello Rory," he smiled at her, then looked over at Jess, "Jess."

Jess merely nodded at him in response.

"Would you two please not scream the word _anarchy_ in town square, it could scare the tourists." He snarled.

"Sure, I'll be sure to keep my plans of overthrowing the government on the down low." Jess smirked, receiving a hard elbow to the ribs from Rory, "Jeez, vicious today, are we Rory?"

"Sorry Taylor, we'll keep it down," Rory promised him, giving Jess a dirty look. The boy only rolled his eyes. "Jess has to head to the diner soon anyway, his shift starts soon."

"Well, then you better get going," he advised, giving Rory a smile, "Dean's shift ends in about twenty minutes if you didn't know Rory."

"I know," she tried to smile, "I was just going to walk Jess back to the diner and pick up some coffee."

"Well, alright, see you soon Rory." he said, giving Jess a look of disapproval before walking away.

"At least someone in this town still hates me," Jess grinned as they headed towards the diner.

"Why do you want them to hate you?" Rory bit her lip, "Why is the fact that they are so concerned about you make you so upset?"

"Because if they had never known what Liz was like they would still hate me," he snapped, turning his head to stare her down, "I don't want them to like me and feel bad for me because of my mother. If they didn't think I deserved compassion before then why should I now?"

Rory sighed and shook her head. Jess just didn't get it. When others saw a different side of someone, a side they never thought existed, their view changes. When the town saw that side of Jess, the side that was weak and vulnerable, instead of his tough, "nothing-can-break-me" side, their opinion changed. Jess was no longer that conniving, heartless boy. He was a good person, the good person Rory always knew deep down.

Jess violently swung the door to the diner open and hung his coat up on the rack.

"Who just slammed the door-" Luke stopped his rant mid-sentence when he saw Jess and Rory standing near the door. By the looks on Jess' face he knew exactly who had done it.

"See, you're in a bad mood again," Luke commented as Jess walked past him and grabbed a rag.

"Shut up Luke." He growled, walking over to an empty table and beginning to wipe it clean violently.

Luke walked over to Rory and whispered to her.

"What happened?" he asked, trying keeping his voice low.

Rory shrugged and walked over to the counter.

"Could I get some coffee to-go Luke?" she asked pleasantly.

He smiled at her and poured her a cup.

"Going to meet up with Dean?" A simple inquiry.

"Yeah, he gets off work soon," Rory grabbed the cup and handing him the money, "Thanks, Luke."

Luke nodded at her and walked over to another costumer.

"I'll see you, Jess," Rory called to him as she opened the door.

"Bye." He mumbled, looking up at her for a brief moment then back down at the table.

"Um, excuse me, boy," Jess heard a man bark as he snapped his fingers repeatedly.

He looked over in the direction of the call and saw a man and his wife--tourists, he guessed--sitting at one of the tables, "Could you serve us already? We've been waiting for ten minutes."

Jess threw the rag on the table and walked over to them. He pulled out a notepad and grabbed a pen.

"What do you want?" he asked, trying to keep his temper in check. It was no easy feat.

"Oh, yes, could we get two cheeseburger with no tomato, onions, pickles, or cheese?" He told

Jess, looking up from his menu as he finished.

"So let me get this straight, you want two cheeseburger without the tomatoes, onions, pickles, or cheese?" Jess asked, crossing his arms after writing down the man's order.

"Yes," The man confirmed, nodding his head.

"So you just want a piece of meat on a pattie?" Jess asked, giving the man a glare, "What's a cheeseburger without the cheese? Why didn't you just ask for a hamburger, or better yet, a kids menu?"

"Excuse me!" The man braked, standing up slightly from his chair.

Luke rushed over quickly to stop any fight that may occur.

"Sir, what seems to be the problem here?" Luke asked the man, giving Jess a quick disapproving look.

"This _delinquent_ is criticizing my order!" the man complained, glaring over at Jess.

"He ordered two cheeseburger without everything except the burger and pattie, who does that?"

Jess questioned, ignoring the man's glare.

"Our customers do," Luke tried to say as pleasantly as he could muster, "I'm sorry sir, I'll get that right for you."

"I do not want that boy waiting on me!" The man yelled, pointing his finger at Jess.

"Thank God," Jess retorted, crossing his arms.

Luke watched the exchange and shook his head. "Jess, could I see you for a minute?" Before Jess could answer, Luke was dragging the boy into the back room.

"What are you doing out there?!" Luke whispered fiercely, keeping his voice down so the customers wouldn't hear.

"That guy was being a total ass," Jess replied, "He snapped his finger at me and called me 'boy' to get me over to him. I'm not a dog, Luke!"

"That gives you no excuse to treat a customer like that!" Luke barked at him. He took his baseball cap off and ran a hand through his hair. He knew things had been hard for Jess, but he was tired of the constant fighting. He sighed in defeat, "Just go upstairs Jess. You don't have to work this shift. I'll talk to you about this later, alright?"

"Fine." Jess said, anger seeping through his voice.

He barged out of the back room and stormed up the stairs. As Luke came out from the back room he heard the door to the apartment slam open, hitting the wall. He sighed and went on with his job, handing Caesar the order before heading back into the crowd of customers.

* * *

Thank you all so much for reading.

Please, please, please review! I'd love to hear what you all think of each chapter, I really need some input on my writing.

I'll update as soon as possible, I promise.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing! Bright Eyes owns the title, while the Wb own Gilmore Girls!

Thank you all so much for all the reviews and alerts and favorites! I'm really glad you guys like the story.

Here's chapter four, sorry that it's kind of short, but I promise the next chapter will make up for it. I think it's pretty long.

Alright, please, please, please review!

* * *

The phone in the apartment rang, causing Jess to jump. He had been sitting in that apartment for hours, Luke telling him to stay up there until he cooled down. The method worked slightly, a calm but taken-back Jess got up from his place and picked up the phone.

"Hello, Danes residence," He announced. Luke had told him to say that whenever he answered the phone. He found the line completely stupid. It's a small town, he reasoned, the people should know who they are calling.

"Jess, baby?" A woman said on the other end, her voice raspy from years of smoking.

"Liz," He sighed. He should have expected a call from her, it was three days away from Christmas, and he still hadn't told her if he was coming home or not.

"Jess, I'm your mom, call me mom!" she snapped, her voice slurring.

Jess sighed a second time and placed a hand on his head. She was drunk. He knew she was lying when she told him she had cleaned up. For some reason he had tried to hang onto the belief that maybe this time she was telling the truth, that maybe she really had stopped; but of course, he'd somehow forgotten that you can never count on Liz to do anything.

"Sorry, _mom_," he sarcastically mused, "Why'd you call?"

"Are you coming home baby?" she asked pleadingly.

"I don't know," he shrugged, taking out a cigarette from his pocket and twirling it with his fingers.

"Baby, please," she begged, her voice sounding surprisingly gentle, "Larry and I both-"

"What?" Jess interrupted, dropping his cigarette on the ground, "You took him back?"

Larry was one of Liz's many boyfriends, the worst one yet in Jess' opinion. Not only did he smack around Jess constantly, but also Liz. Whenever he would come home drunk he would lash out at both of them. Liz was never sober during his attacks, she usually condoned him to hit Jess, saying that the boy deserved it. He would always hit Liz for the smallest things. If she said something he didn't like or touched his arm at the wrong moment he would slap her over and over. Jess did resent his mom for being the way she was and bringing those men into their home, but he still cared for her. He never wanted to see his mom be hit; he could handle being hit himself, but he couldn't take seeing Liz hurt.

"Baby, he's changed," she told Jess, "He promised he wouldn't ever hit us again."

"And you believe him?"

"Baby, he promised," She repeated, trying to convince the boy that he could be trusted.

"As long as he's there I'm not coming back." Jess stated strictly. He could not face that man again.

"Jess!" Liz slurred, her voice rising, "I want you home for Christmas and you will be home, Larry will make sure of that!"

He heard Liz slam the phone down, the dial tone ringing in his ear. He hung up the phone and sat back down on the couch. What was Larry going to do about it? The guy didn't even like Jess in the first place.

Jess shook his head and dismissed the threat, grabbing his copy of _Oliver Twist _out of his back pocket and opening it. He was hoping the holidays would go by without any problems from Liz, but he had a feeling that she was really going to put up a fight.

Jess heard the apartment door open and looked up to see Luke walk up to him.

"I closed up for the night," Luke said as he sat down on the couch next to him.

"Hm," Jess nodded, beginning to read the words on the taped up page of his book. His mind was far from the reading however--he was debating telling Luke about Liz. If he told Luke, his uncle could probably make sure that nothing happened, but Jess couldn't be so sure. Liz always got want she wanted. Well, at least that's what Larry thought...

"Something bothering you?" Luke asked, staring at the boy, "You haven't been in a good mood all day."

"What can I say?" Jess shrugged, his eyes still glued to the page, "Christmas makes me grumpy."

"Jess, come on," Luke sighed, "What's really up?"

"Nothing." Jess said dryly, his thoughts wandering off to Liz and Larry once again.

"Jess," Luke stated sternly.

"Let's change the subject," Jess said, closing his book and looking towards Luke, "I'll work the morning shift tomorrow, then take the afternoon off."

"I close early on Christmas Eve," he told the boy, "If you go out, could you come back to help me close around six?"

"Yeah, sure," Jess shrugged, "No problem."

"Thanks," Luke said, patting the boy's shoulder as he got up. He returned to the couch with a beer and turned the TV on.

"Taylor came into the diner and complained about you today," Luke smirked, "Said you were screaming something about anarchy in town square."

"Rory and I were talking about my elaborate plan to overthrow Taylor's rules and cause the town of Star's Hollow to fall into a complete state of chaos." Jess returned Luke's smirk, laying back on the couch.

"Of course," Luke smiled, taking a sip of his beer and turning his attention back to the television.

Luke couldn't stand Taylor, and the fact that Jess annoyed him so much always put a smile on his face. Although he would never admit how much pleasure he got out of Jess' torture of the man aloud, he always smiled to himself when he heard of another prank that the boy had played on the man.

He watched as Jess picked up his book and opened it, the boy pulling his legs up onto the couch and sitting crisscross, elbows resting on his knees.

He hoped the boy would enjoy what he got him for Christmas. Rory had suggested a list of fourteen books and two CD's that the boy would love. Luke bought them all and wrapped them nicely, the boxes sitting in his closet, waiting to be put under the tree. He had never been that excited for Christmas before. In the past, he tended to be the Scrooge of the town, but now that he had Jess, his outlook had changed. He finally had family to spend the holiday with, something he hadn't had in years. He wanted to make this Christmas good, knowing that both he and Jess had not had a "Merry" Christmas in a while.

"Want to watch another Christmas movie?" Luke asked, guessing the reply would be no.

Jess looked up from his book and shut it.

"Sure," he shrugged, placing the book back in his back pocket.

Luke smiled as he flipped through the channels until he found _A Christmas Carol_. Uncle and nephew sat together on the couch for the remainder of the night, watching the old movie and making sarcastic remarks about its characters.

* * *

That's it for now!

Please review! I really love hearing what you guys think of my story!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing!

I'm so sorry guys, I was rushing to get off the computer last night to watch Heroes when I posted this chapter that I forgot to put the first half in!

Again, I'm really sorry, I feel so stupid.

Well, here's the real Chapter Five, I hope you all like the half I forgot to put in.

Please review!!

* * *

"Ah, Christmas Eve," Lorelai burst through the diner door that morning happier than usual, balancing presents in her hand, "I come baring gifts!"

"Can you not make a scene the next time you enter the diner?" Luke asked, grabbing the pot of coffee and heading over to a table. He poured the drink into the customer's cups as Lorelai sat down.

"I bring you gifts and you act like the Grinch? You can't stop Christmas, Luke!" Lorelai's joke was not acknowledged.

Jess, with a sigh, walked up to her and held up a pot of coffee and a mug.

"Guessing you want this?" he inquired as he placed the mug down on the table.

"You read my mind Jess," she smiled as he poured her coffee into her mug.

"Oh!" she added, holding out a gift to him, "Merry Christmas!"

Jess grabbed the wrapped box with suspicion and stared at it.

"Rory picked it out, I just decided to take credit for it." She mused, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Thanks," Jess nodded, examining the gift before putting it under the counter.

"Now, don't open that until Christmas day young man!" she taunted, waving a finger.

Jess rolled his eyes and headed over to another customer.

"Oh Mr. Grinch!" she called, waving her napkin in the air, "I've got a gift for you too."

Luke walked over to her and she held his present out to him.

"Beautifully wrapped, isn't it?" she asked, "Took Rory and I about a hundred tries to get it that way."

He, like Jess, examined the gift and placed it under the counter.

"Thanks Lorelai," he smiled, grabbing his order pad and pen, "I have Rory's and your gift upstairs. Now, what can I get you?"

"Hm," she mumbled, studying her menu, "How about pancakes and eggnog?"

"You got it." He nodded as he wrote her order down. He walked behind the counter and gave her order to Caesar.

Lorelai watched as her friend and his nephew shuffled around the diner refilling coffee and delivering food. She studied Jess as he walked around. She could tell something was bothering him, his mind seemed to be elsewhere. His eyes had worry in them and the boy appeared to be zoning out. He almost spilled coffee on two of the customers and he had almost run into Luke a few times. Jess eventually vanished into the back and came out with her pancakes. Lorelai smiled as Jess placed her order down in front of her.

"Looks great," she said, grabbing her fork and knife, "Oh, how I love the holidays!"

"Yeah," Jess agreed, staring down at the table.

"Now don't tell me Grinch runs in the family. Is something the matter, Jess?" she asked, placing her utensils on the plate.

"No, why do you ask?" Jess replied, his expression dull and voice dry.

"Oh, well, it just looked like something was up," she admitted, grabbing her mug.

"Nope, I'm fine," he told her, walking off quickly to help another costumer.

Lorelai didn't believe him for a moment. There was definitely something up, she knew that for sure.

"Here you go," Luke snapped the woman out of her reverie. He held out two presents to her, "One's for Rory and the other's for you."

"Why thank you Luke," she smiled, "Festive wrapping paper and bows. You went all out. I mean, last year you used 'Happy Birthday' paper."

"I didn't have time to go buy the Christmas paper," he reminded her, adjusting his baseball cap, "Instead I saved some trees."

"What tree doesn't want to be turned into Christmas themed wrapping paper?" she joked, "I feel it would be an honor to be used for such a festive event."

Luke rolled his eyes and placed the gifts on the table.

"Where's Rory?" he asked, looking towards the empty chair across from Lorelai.

"She's with Dean," Lorelai pouted, "Leaving her mother all alone for Christmas Eve breakfast!"

"Well, tell her I wish her a merry Christmas," Luke told her.

"Will do," Lorelai smiled, taking a bite of her pancakes.

"Luke?" Jess asked, coming up to the two, "You think I could maybe take off early?"

"Well, it's not that busy," he looked around, staring at the almost empty diner, "I guess-"

"Alright thanks," Jess said dryly, walking over to the door and grabbing his coat, "See you at six."

He opened the diner door and walked out into the snow.

Luke sighed and looked over at Lorelai.

"Something's bothering him." Luke told her.

"I can tell," she nodded.

* * *

Jess walked through the snow, the cold wind blowing through his thin jacket. He sat down on the bridge and grabbed his book from his back pocket. So far the day had gone off without a hitch, no calls from Liz or Larry, but the boy still had an uneasy feeling. He had been paranoid all day, worried that Liz would burst through the diner door again. Lorelai had noticed something was up. He didn't think his uneasiness was that obvious, but apparently if the Gilmore caught it, it couldn't have been hidden well. He sighed, trying to concentrate on the words written on the page. His mind kept drifting off, his thought always going back to Liz and Larry. He shut his book and stuffed it back in his pocket. Nothing was going to happen, why was he so paranoid about it? He pulled a cigarette out his pocket, placing it between his lips. As he was about to light it, he heard footsteps hitting the wood of the bridge. He looked up and dropped his cigarette, Larry and Liz standing above him.

"Baby," Liz smiled, her hands wrapped around her body, "Merry Christmas."

"Liz," Jess said, stumbling as he got up, "What are you-"

"She wants you home for Christmas," Larry interrupted, walking over to the boy, "God knows why she'd want youback."

"God knows why she'd want _you _back," Jess retorted arrogantly.

Larry's face became red with anger and he kicked the boy hard in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain.

"You little punk!" he yelled, kicking him again, the boy falling to the ground.

Jess' breathing became harsh and he shut his eyes tightly, every breath painful and unbearable. He forced himself up, struggling to keep his balance.

"Let's go!" Larry barked, trying to grab at Jess' wrist. Jess backed up quickly and began to run. He knew that the closer he got to town square the safer he would be. If there were more people around he knew someone would help him. He snapped his head back quickly, seeing Larry catching up quick behind him. Jess made it to the front of Miss Patty's dance studio before being tackled to the ground, his cheek hitting the pavement hard. Larry grabbed his wrists and held him down to the ground.

Miss Patty walked out of her studio and gasped. She saw Jess being held down by a viscous looking man--that was not typical. She made her way quickly over to Luke's and burst through the door.

"Luke!" she yelled, rushing up to the counter, "Luke!"

Luke appeared from the back room and walked up to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, placing his rag on the counter.

"It's Jess!" she said, trying to catch her breath, "Outside, the poor boy's being attacked!"

Before she had even finished her sentence, Luke was out the door and heading towards the scene. Larry was punching Jess in the face, the boy struggling to break free of his grip.

Luke rushed over and pulled him off the boy.

"Get off him!" Luke yelled, staring the man square in the eye, "What the hell are you doing?!"

He looked behind the strange man and saw Liz standing there, watching the scene as if everything was fine, as if the stranger hadn't been beating her child.

"Liz, who is this guy?" he asked, kneeling down to help Jess to his feet.

A crowd had formed now, Miss Patty informing the rest of the town of what she had witnessed. Lorelai and Rory were part of the crowd, as well as Taylor and Kirk.

"Oh," the man grinned, crossing his arms, "You must be Luke, the brother."

"Larry is Liz's boyfriend," Jess told his uncle, gripping tightly to the man's flannel shirt.

"It's Christmas, Luke," Liz told him as she walked up to her son and brother, "I want him home."

"You think I'm going to let him go back with you after I see this?" Luke asked, wrapping his arm around the boy's waist gently to help him stand, "Get out of here, Liz!"

"Luke-" Liz pleaded.

"Leave!" he yelled, waving his fist furiously.

Liz and Larry both backed away, heading back to a car parked on the far end of the street. Both Luke and the crowd watched as Liz and Larry drove away. Luke turned around, he and Jess heading towards the diner.

"You alright?" he asked the boy, listening to him as he struggled to breathe, the pain in his ribs almost unbearable.

"I'll live," he told the man, his hand going up to his cheek, the pain from his fall pulsating through the left side of his face.

The crowd parted as they neared them, making a clear path to the diner.

Luke pushed the door open and sat Jess down in the chair nearest to the door. He walked to the back just as Lorelai and Rory walked into the diner.

"Jess," Rory kneeled down in front of him, tears falling from her blue eyes. The boy looked up at her, his eyes filled with fear for a brief moment.

"I told her no," He stated dryly, the look of fear vanishing from his eyes, "And she comes here to get me. I should have known she'd pull this again."

"What is he talking about Rory?" Lorelai asked, watching the scene between her daughter and the boy from afar.

"Liz has been calling him," she said, looking up towards her mother, "She wanted him to come home for Christmas."

Luke walked in between them, Rory standing up as he kneeled down in front of the boy.

He lifted up the boys shirt, revealing his swollen and bruised torso. The boy winced as Luke gently touched the skin.

"Oh god," he whispered, letting Jess' shirt fall down.

Lorelai was covering her mouth with her hand, too shocked to even speak. How could Liz let someone do that to her own child?

"Jess, we need to go to the hospital." Luke told him, looking the boy sternly in the eye, ready for a fight.

"I'm fine," Jess sighed, his voice a whisper.

"You're not fine." Luke stated, "You're breathing doesn't sound right at all."

"It's probably just a broken rib," Jess shrugged, squeezing his eyes shut, feeling a sharp pain as his shoulders moved upward.

"We're going to the hospital," he said, grabbing his coat and getting the keys to the truck, "Come on."

Jess got up slowly and sighed. He knew he couldn't win this battle, Luke was too persistent and he was just too exhausted to fight him any harder than he was.

"What a great Christmas I seem to be having," he muttered as he walked over to the door, "Rory," he said, causing the teary-eyed girl to look over at him, "I'll be fine, stop crying, okay?"

She nodded her head and sniffled.

Luke opened the door for Jess and the boy began his journey to the car. Luke turned around and faced the two Gilmores.

"Thanks for coming in to check on him," he said, giving the Gilmores a weak smile, his heart just not in it at the moment, "He'll be fine, right?"

"Yeah," Lorelai said, laying a hand on the worried man's shoulder, "He's a strong kid."

Luke nodded and the two Gilmores walked out, heading back to their house; mother's arm wrapped around the daughter's body, the girl still quietly sobbing.

Luke walked off to the car and got in, Jess already sitting in the passenger side.

"You know," Jess said as Luke turned the key in the ignition, "We'll probably be there all night."

"I know," the man sighed, the engine roaring as it jump-started.

"Sorry if I ruined your Christmas," he apologized, his eyes staring towards the ground.

"You didn't ruin it Jess," he said, giving the boy the sincerest smile he could muster, "As long as we're celebrating it together Christmas will be good, you understand?"

The boy simply nodded and Luke began the long drive to the hospital.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Please, please, please review!

It encourages me to post more often.

Also, I'm working on another Jess and Luke centric story. I'll start posting it after I finish posting this story.

Thanks again for reading and please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, of course.

Thank you all so much for all the lovely reviews!

Sorry again about that screw up last chapter, it won't happen again.

Well, here's chapter six! Enjoy, and please review!!

* * *

It had been two hours since they had arrived at the hospital. Jess and Luke were sitting in the waiting room, Luke filling out paperwork while the boy sat slouched in his chair, his eyes shut. The smallest movement seemed to cause a painful moan to escape his lips, prompting his uncle to look up from his papers to check on him.

"We've been here forever Luke," Jess sighed, opening his eyes to look over at the man, "I think we should leave."

"I think we should stay," he replied, crossing his arms, "Now, get some rest while we wait."

Jess groaned as he slide farther down his chair.

"I'm fine," he insisted, shutting his eyes.

"You're not." Luke replied simply, writing the last bit of information on the forms and standing up, "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Yeah,"Jess acknowledged, moaning as he adjusted his position in the seat.

Luke walked over to the nurse's station and handed one of the nurses the forms.

"How much longer do you think it'll be?" he asked the woman as she flipped through the forms, skimming the words written down.

"Not much longer," she said, looking at the man and smiling, "A doctor will be available to see Jess soon."

"Alright, thank you." Luke nodded. He headed back to Jess and sat down.

"They said we won't have to wait much longer," He informed his nephew, the boy opening one eye to look at his uncle.

"Who knows what how long 'much longer' will be?" he fussed, "It could be hours from now, I think-"

"We're not leaving, so don't suggest it again." Luke scolded, crossing his arms and leaning back in the plastic chair.

"Fine," Jess replied, raising his hands up, causing the boy to let out a yelp.

He let out a sigh and mumbled, "Stupid broken ribs."

Luke laid a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Jess Mariano?" they both heard a woman's voice say.

Jess opened his eyes and looked over towards the female nurse who had called his name. He stood up with Luke, and walked over to her.

"Come on," she smiled at him, motioning for the boy to follow her.

Jess did as he was told and began walking, leaving Luke in the waiting room.

The older man sighed and sat back down, preparing himself for the long night ahead

* * *

Jess sat on an examination table, the doctor standing in front of him with a clipboard.

"So," he said, looking up at the boy, "Your mother's boyfriend did this to you?"

"Yeah," he responded quietly.

"And the other black eye, the one that's healing, that's from your mother?" he asked, looking down towards his clipboard.

The boy merely nodded and the doctor wrote something down.

"Alright then, we'll do some x-rays after we get you bandaged up," he said, referring to the scratch on Jess's face from where he hit the cement.

"Okay," he nodded again, eyes on the ground.

The doctor called a nurse in and handed her the chart.

"Could you bandage up his left cheek and get him ready for his x-rays when you're done?" he asked the nurse.

"Of course," She said, looking over at Jess, causing the boy to quickly avert his gaze, not wanting her to know he was staring.

"I'll see you again once we get your x-rays back, alright, Jess?" The doctor asked as he headed to the door.

"Yeah," the boy replied, looking over at the man for only a moment.

He nodded towards the nurse and walked out.

"Well, let's get you bandaged up, shall we?" she smiled, heading over to a cabinet and pulling out some gauze and tape, "I can tell you want to get out of here."

Jess gave the young woman a small smile as she came over to clean his cheek. She placed a piece of gauze on the injured cheek and taped it on.

She looked down towards the boy's wrists and noticed the purple and pink hand-shaped bruises that had formed on them. She gave the boy a smile then, motioned for him to stand.

"Let's go get those x-rays." She said, leading the way. Jess followed behind her, walking slow and taking in his surroundings.

The white walls and the stench of antiseptic made him want to vomit; he had always hated hospitals. He felt death and pain surrounded you whenever you entered one of its rooms. Rarely anything happy occurs in a hospital.

She led him to the room and told him to lay down on the table. He sighed and shut his eyes as the doctor began talking to him, telling him to hold his breath when told. Jess nodded and he heard the man walk out into another room. He really wanted Luke right about now; he was tired and he wanted to go home.

"Hold your breath at the count of three, alright?" he heard a man say.

The boy nodded and squeezed his eyes shut tightly, hoping he could go home soon.

* * *

Luke had been sitting in the waiting room for an hour; he had been told his nephew was getting x-rays and would be done soon. He hoped for the kid's sake that they'd be able to get him out of there soon; they wouldn't be getting home until about twelve at this point. There was no way the two could celebrate Christmas the next day because they were both exhausted. He had worked so hard to make Christmas good for Jess, but Liz had to come and ruin it, having her boyfriend jump the kid.

"You're here with Jess Mariano, right?"

Luke looked up and saw a nurse standing in front of him, a smile on her face.

"Yes," Luke said, standing up quickly, "I'm his uncle."

"Follow me please," she told him.

"He's going to be alright, right?" Luke asked frantically.

"Yes, he's waiting in one of the examination rooms for the x-rays to come back. The doctor had asked me to get you; he wants you to see the x-rays too." She told him, leading him to the room.

As he walked in, he saw Jess sitting on the table, bandage on his cheek. The boy looked up wide eyed then looked back towards the ground.

"The doctor will be with you two in a minute," the nurse told them kindly. She walked out and left the two alone.

"Hey," Luke smiled, sitting down in the chair next to the table.

"Hey," Jess replied, looking up briefly.

"How are you feeling?" Luke asked the boy, "You don't seem to be in much pain anymore," Luke noticed the boy's movements were not causing the usual moans that they had before.

"Yeah, they gave me something for it," Jess told him, the boy staring down at his bruised wrists, "You think we can leave soon?" he yawned, shutting his eyes, "I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, I can tell," he smiled, "When we get home you can sleep, alright?"

"Actually," Jess smiled, his eyes on his uncle, "I was thinking we could open some gifts."

"Jess-"

"It'll be Christmas day by the time we get home and I know I'll be too exhausted to do anything tomorrow," the boy cut in, "Come on!"

Luke sighed and nodded, "Alright, but you do what the doctors says, no fighting me about it."

"Deal." Jess smiled, both men looking towards the door as they heard it open.

The man smiled and greeted them, shaking Luke's hand before placing the x-rays up for both men to see.

"You see these lines here," The doctor asked, pointing to three lines, all on different ribs, "Those are where the ribs have cracked."

"So wait, I have _three _broken ribs?" Jess asked, his eyes wide.

The doctor nodded and Jess sighed, "I didn't think it was really that bad."

"How do you treat them?" Luke asked, "Do you just let it heal on its own?"

"Yes, pretty much," The doctor told them, "He'll need to rest for a few days though and we'll prescribe him some painkillers so he can move more freely and without the pain."

Luke nodded and looked over at his nephew, the boy looking uncomfortable and embarrassed.

He couldn't believe this had happened. He thought the first time Liz had come to town would be the last; he didn't expect her to come back with one of her boyfriends in tow. If he ever saw that man again, he would hurt him tens times worse than he had hurt Jess. He'd make him regret ever laying a finger on the boy.

"Can we go now?" Jess asked, looking over towards the doctor.

"Yes," the man nodded, flipping through the chart, "Jess's prescription will be waiting for you to pick up when you check out."

"Alright, thank you," Luke said, shaking the doctor's hand. The doctor left the room, followed by Jess and Luke.

"You heard what he said Jess," Luke reminded as they walked to the nurse's station, "You need to rest for the next few days."

"But how long is a few?" he smirked, crossing his arms.

"Jess," Luke warned before saying a quick "hi" to the nurse and signing Jess out.

"I'll stick to my end of the deal," the boy said, raising his hands defensively, "Well, as long as you stick to yours."

"I will," Luke told him, grabbing the prescription from the nurse's hand, "After we pick up your prescription and get home, we'll open gifts."

"Good," Jess nodded, "It'll be a 'merry' time."

Luke rolled his eyes and began to walk, Jess following behind. They walked out of the building and into the cold winter night.

* * *

Thank you all so much for reading!

The next chapter should be the last, then I might put up my next story.

Please, please, please review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Bright Eyes owns the title while Gilmore Girls is owned by the WB.

Thank you all so much again for the reviews, I love hearing what you think.

Alright everyone, this is the last chapter. I hope to post a new Jess/Luke centric story after this, but I don't know when I'll start posting, or if I'll ever. I guess it just depends on how I feel about it when the time comes that I consider posting it.

Well, thank you all for reading my first FanFiction! Please review my last chapter!

* * *

Jess burst through the apartment door, followed by his uncle. The boy sat on the couch and looked over to Luke.

"Our deal?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"I know," he said, grabbing the presents from under the tree and handing them to Jess, "I put them under the tree while you were gone."

Jess smiled and grabbed a present off the pile. He examined the nicely wrapped box, then looked over at his uncle.

"Went all out on the wrapping paper, did we?" he teased, shaking the present in his hand, "Your love for Christmas movies and now festive paper? My, aren't we just full of surprises?"

The older man rolled his eyes and replied, "Just open it, Jess."

"In a minute, I'm just trying to admire your excellent wrapping job," he smiled, staring down at the present, "Like the red bow."

"Jess," the man warned. He was just too tired for Jess' sarcasm.

"Alright, alright," he said, raising his hands up, "I'm opening it." He ripped off the green and red paper, revealing a new book.

"Nice," he nodded in approval as he flipped through the pages, "How'd you know I wanted this?"

Luke shrugged and sat down beside him.

"Rory told you, right?" the boy asked, placing the book on his pile.

"Yeah," Luke nodded, "I needed some help finding stuff to get you and she told me she'd help."

"Hm," Jess nodded, heading over to his duffle bag and grabbing something out of it.

"I got you some stuff too," Jess shrugged, handing his uncle his gifts, "Didn't want you to feel left out while I opened stuff."

Luke smiled. He would have never expected Jess to get him anything, and the fact the boy actually did was quite a surprise. Luke looked over to see Jess tearing through another present, revealing a CD that he had wanted. The man unwrapped his present and smiled as he saw his gift: it was a collection of movies.

"I thought you might want to add onto your pile of _amazing_ movies," Jess admitted, "So I picked you up a few. It ranges from _A Nightmare On Elm Street_ to The Beatles' _Yellow Submarine_."

Luke smiled as he flipped through the DVDs, stopping on an odd one.

"_About a Boy, _Jess?" he asked with a smirk.

"What? I told you it was a wide variety," he shrugged, "Anyway, I thought maybe you'd surprise me with your love of Hugh Grant movies like you did with Christmas ones."

Luke laughed, placing the stack of movies down on the floor.

"Thanks Jess," he said, "You didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, well, I thought it'd be nice," Jess ran a hand through his hair while flipping through the pages of another book, "I mean, for all the crap that you have to put up with because of me--"

"Jess, you're not a bad kid, don't say that," Luke said with concern, staring at the boy, "You're not a problem. I want you here."

A small smile formed on Jess' lips, "Thanks Luke...for everything, I mean it."

Luke smiled and hugged his nephew. It was usually an awkward thing for Luke to do, he wasn't the touchy-feely type, but it felt right at the time. If Jess had left to go New York City for Christmas, he knew he would have been devastated. He had gotten used to Jess' presence and the kid had grown on him. His cockiness and sarcasm made things much more interesting for Luke. If Jess had left and decided to stay with Liz, Luke didn't know what he would have done. He would miss the company that he had gotten so used to, all the nights that they talked and watched movies, all the funny moments between the two, he'd even miss Jess' constant taunting of the sassy Lorelai. He'd also miss the help that Jess gave him at the diner, all the extra shifts the boy took. He knew Jess was there for him when he needed it, and he could tell the boy truly cared about him. He realized that he needed Jess as much as the boy needed him.

He released the boy from his hug and handed Jess another present.

"It's from the Gilmores," he told him, smiling.

"Looks like they outdid you on the wrapping job." Jess smirked, the paper on the present covered with cartoon Santa Clauses.

Luke rolled his eyes once again at the boy's comment.

"Even though you look exhausted somehow you can still be as cocky as ever," The man said, shaking his head.

"It's just natural," the boy shrugged, "But be thankful I'm not like those sassy Gilmores."

"Trust me, I am." Luke chuckled, watching the boy begin to tear the paper off.

The boy's face lit up as he held up a book.

It was a brand new paperback copy of _Oliver Twist_.

He smiled and opened the book, finding a note written on the back of the cover:

_I thought you could use a new copy of this. Your old one is falling apart and I took it upon myself get you a new one. Merry Christmas, Dodger._

He shut the book, smile still intact. Rory just seemed to know exactly what Jess liked, and that made the boy like her even more. Her amazing tastes in books and music were exactly like his, they had so much in common. He hoped that one day they could be more than just friends, but right now Dean was in the way. He'd work on that.

"Don't you already own that?" Luke asked, leaning over to look at the cover.

"Yeah," he said, taking out his old worn copy of the book from his pocket and replacing it with the new one, "Rory wrote I was in need of a new copy."

"I see. I guess she picked that out for you too?" Luke asked.

"I don't think Lorelai knew that I liked this book," Jess smiled, crossing his arms, "She probably would have bought me _Rebel Without A Cause._ 'Cause that just screams 'me.'"

Luke laughed and bunched up the wrapping paper on the floor, picking up the pile and heading to the trash can. Jess stood up and helped him finish cleaning up the remainder.

"Thanks," Luke nodded to the boy. He turned his attention to the clock and placed a hand on his head.

"Whoa," he said, "It's two in the morning."

Jess just shrugged and yawned, "So?"

"I think we should get to bed, it's late," Luke told him, stopping the boy's protest with his finger, "Remember the deal."

"The doctor didn't say _when_ I had to go to sleep, he just said I needed to 'rest.'" Jess mumbled.

"Bed. Now." Luke said, crossing his arms.

"Fine," the boy sighed, taking off his shirt and placing the book Rory got him on his pile. He flopped down on his bed and turned on his stereo.

The older man sighed and shut the lights off, laying down in his bed.

"Merry Christmas, Jess," Luke whispered, smiling to himself.

"Merry Christmas, Uncle Luke." He heard a tired voice say from under the covers.

* * *

Alright, that's the end. I hope you guy's liked it and thank you all so much for reading and reviewing.

Happy Holidays!


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